Amazon Adventure

Adventure into one of the world's most biodiverse rainforests, the lush Peruvian Amazon, to witness a truly unique 'country-within-a-country'. Offering phenomenal wildlife-spotting, vast untamed forests and indigenous communities, a stay in the famous amazon is a once in a lifetime experience.

Tour Itinerary

1

UK to Santiago

Santiago

On arrival, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy today at leisure.

3

Santiago

Following breakfast your guide will take you on a half day city tour of Santiago, visiting the main attractions of this charming capital city. Beginning at the Government Palace, you will then continue to the main square 'Plaza de Armas', known as the heart and soul of Santiago and the centrepiece of the city's grid pattern layout. Next stroll around Santa Lucia Hill, a beautifully landscaped park where back in 1833 Charles Darwin once proclaimed that the view from here is 'certainly most striking'. Finish your tour with visits to the exclusive residential neighbourhoods of Vitacura and Las Condes, then return to your hotel for some time to rest and relax.

Breakfast

4

Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama

This morning you will be transferred to Santiago airport for your flight to Calama, a city in northern Chile's Atacama Desert. Considered to be the archaeological capital of Chile as well as the centre of Atacama culture, San Pedro's people once roamed this vast expanse of desert which is thought to be the driest place on planet Earth.

Breakfast

5

San Pedro de Atacama

An early start takes you to the Tatio Geysers, situated on the highest geothermal field, some 4,300 metres above sea level in the Andean mountain range. Ringed by volcanoes, over 80 gurgling geysers shoot steam fumaroles reaching 50 metres in height of multiple vibrant colours; a dazzling spectacle to behold. Admire the varied fauna, such as the vicuna, the smallest of the six species of camelid which has adapted itself to survive in the extreme and inhospitable climate of the Andes. In the evening your group will travel to Valle de la Luna to watch the sun set from this exquisite viewing point.

Breakfast

6

San Pedro to Ojo de Perdiz

After breakfast you will begin your journey to the Bolivian Salt Flats via 4x4 jeeps to experience a full day tour of this incredible landscape. The first stop will be at the emerald Green Lagoon in the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve whose colour is caused by the moving sediments containing copper minerals. Then continue to the hot springs of Polques where you will have the chance to bathe before carrying on to the geysers of Sol de Manana to marvel at the pools of boiling mud emitting pressurised steam.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

7

Ojo de Perdiz to Uyuni Salt Flats

Leaving your hotel after breakfast, your tour will continue to a chain of beautiful lagoons home to three different kinds of flamingo whose pink feet and feathers are a result of the active red algae which reacts with the sun's radiation. Lunch will be served outdoors on the shores of the lagoon before continuing your journey across the salt flats on to your unique accommodation for the night - a hotel built entirely of salt blocks!

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

8

Uyuni Salt Flats

This morning journey to Isla Incahuasi, one of the main destinations within Uyuni Salt Flats. It was once a real island before the prehistoric lakes dried up, leaving a hilly outpost covered in hundreds of tall cacti growing haphazardly out of the ragged surface. Reach the top of the island and find your camera to take a panoramic shot of the 360 degree views over this spectacular sight. From here you will continue to see pyramids of salt piled on the land by salt miners who harvest the area for its lucrative minerals.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

9

Uyuni Salt Flats to La Paz

Depart the salt flats today after breakfast and transfer to Uyuni airport for your flight to La Paz, located 3,600 metres above sea level and known as 'the city that touches the sky'. Discover this dizzying city on a half day tour, visiting the main square, Plaza Murillo, the historic centre of La Paz and home to the Cathedral and Presidential Palace. Next continue to the 16th century San Francisco church whose mestizobaroque facade features carvings of masks, dragons and tropical birds. Take the stone tunnel stairway to the roof for views across the city's skyline, then visit the charming colonial street of Calle Jaen. Finally, the tour arrives at Valle de la Luna - a dramatic change of scenery where erosion has produced stony forms resembling the moon.

Breakfast

10

La Paz to Puno

Today you will be transferred to Desaguadero to cross the border between Bolivia and Peru and arrive at Lake Titicaca, thought to be the birthplace of the sun and known to be the highest navigable lake in the world. Travelling by motorboat, visit the floating Uros Islands, constructed entirely by the buoyant reeds that grow plentifully in the lake below. Meet the Uros women in their brightly coloured petticoat skirts who will be happy to sell you their charming handicrafts. Continue to Puno where you will spend the night.

Breakfast

11

Puno to Cusco

Board the luxury Andean Explorer train after breakfast and begin the journey from Puno up to Cusco. Travel through rolling plains, mountainous highlands and low-lying clouds whilst enjoying the comforts of this exquisitely decorated twenties style train. Take lunch in the dining carriage and enjoy some fresh air in the outdoor observatory before arriving in the colonial city of Cusco for your overnight stay. Please note that from April 2017 onwards the Andean Explorer is not available and instead you will travel from Puno to Cusco by road and be able to appreciate the surrounding valleys' wonderful landscapes en route. The journey includes a stop at La Raya pass, 4,300 metres above sea level, from where you will be able to take in some amazing vistas of the Andean snow-capped mountains. You will also stop at the Raqchi ruins, known as the Temple of the God Wiracocha, and Andahuaylillas village where there is a beautiful church from the 17th century. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before arriving in Cusco and transferring to your hotel.

Breakfast & Lunch

12

Cusco

Today's morning tour of Cusco will introduce you to this amazing colonial city built on the foundation of Inca Palaces. Visit the Temple of the Sun where you can appreciate the incredible masonry of the Incas, the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral with its carved woodworks, altars and paintings. Later you will drive to the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman whose peculiar huge granite stone slabs of up to six metres in length fit perfectly on top of one another. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore the rest of Cusco.

Breakfast

13

Cusco

Rise early in the morning to take a train to Aguas Calientes then continue by road to reach one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the awe-inspiring ruins of Machu Picchu. Only re-discovered in 1911 by the explorer Hiram Bingham, this 500 year old citadel is considered to be one of the most extraordinary examples of landscaped architecture in the world. Located on the saddle of a mountain, overlooking the deep canyon of the Urubamba River and in an area of lush tropical forest, it served as a place of worship, a site for stargazing and a private hacienda for the family of the Inca Pachacutec.

Breakfast

14

Cusco to Lima

Following breakfast your guide will transfer you from your hotel to the airport in Cusco for your flight to Lima. On arrival your local guide will commence a half day tour of the 'City of the Kings' - you will first visit the main square to see the Cathedral, Government Palace and City Hall. Next see one of the best preserved monasteries in Lima, the beautiful Santo Domingo Convent and then on to visit the residential zone of San Isidro with its attractive city parks followed by Miraflores, a bustling shopping area with stupendous views of the Pacific Ocean. Retire to your hotel for the final night of your journey across Latin America.

Breakfast

15

Lima to the UK

Cusco to the Amazon Jungle

Departing Cusco after breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado. Here you will be welcomed by the friendly staff and transferred to the nearby wharf where you will board a motorised canoe. Journeying along the beautiful Madre de Dios River, marvel at the never-ending forests and abundant wildlife that is home to this area with some of the richest biodiversity in the world. Upon reaching your lodge and getting back onto dry land you will enjoy lunch before taking a stroll through the property's nature trails to learn about primary and secondary rainforests in the region. When dusk falls, an exciting twilight river excursion awaits you. A motorised canoe will again take you along the Madre de Dios River where your guide will explain about its ecosystem, Amazonian creeks, nocturnal animals inhabiting the area and the southern sky's stellar constellations. Return to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

17

Amazon Jungle

This morning you will prepare for a long trek deep into the Tambopata National Reserve and towards the sparkling, palm-fringed Lake Sandoval. Navigating across the tranquil, oxbow lake by dugout canoe you may be able to spot one of the many species of wildlife that call the area home, such as the endangered giant river otters, macaws, red howler monkeys and one of the world's biggest freshwater scaled fish, the paiche. After returning to the lodge for lunch you will take a 20-minute canoe ride to a canopy walkway where you can cross the seven hanging bridges connecting the treetops at a height of 90 feet before to gain a birds-eye appreciation of the vast jungle. Descend to walk along the 650-foot wooden bridge over the swamps which are home to the legendary anaconda. This evening get ready to further explore the nocturnal activity of the Amazon rainforest with an excursion into the surrounding jungle areas where you will listen to the sounds of nature and observe the intriguing behaviour patterns of the wildlife found here.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

18

Amazon Jungle

Rising early after daybreak, visit a native farm to learn local techniques of cultivation and even sample some of the products. Continuing on to the botanical gardens, discover the immense variety of medicinal plants considered part of the 'natural pharmacy' and used by the locals in the Amazon region. This afternoon you will take a dugout canoe ride on the lake by your lodge to try your hand at the native 'catch and release' fishing technique whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

19

Amazon Jungle to Lima

Today journey back to Puerto Maldonado by motorised canoe and transfer to the airport there to board your flight to Lima. On arrival, you will be met and transferred your hotel to spend the evening.

Breakfast

20

Lima to UK

After breakfast transfer to the airport to catch your flight back to the UK.

Breakfast

Important Information

Visas

British passport holders do not need to obtain a visa prior to travel, you will be granted a tourist visa on arrival into Chile, Bolivia and Peru that will cover you for the duration of your stay on the tour. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you to check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up to date guidelines regarding passport validity.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Payment

If booking more than 10 weeks before departure a deposit of £49pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 10 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 10 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

Flight Information

International flights are operated by TAM airlines operating via Sao Paulo. Each passenger is entitled to 23kg of hold luggage plus 1 item of hand luggage not exceeding 56cm x 40cm x 20cm in size and 1 personal item such as a handbag or laptop. Internal flights are with LAN airlines or Amaszonas airlines. Each passenger is entitled to 20kg of hold luggage plus one item of hand luggage not exceeding 5kg. It is compulsory to recheck luggage in Sao Paulo when connecting with a domestic flight. Please be aware of the difference between the weight restrictions of international and internal flights. Weight restrictions will be finalised on E-ticket receipt. Check-in for international flights should be at least three hours before departure. Flight times/numbers are for guidance only and are subject to change.
On arrival in Chile you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Pure Chile, holding a sign displaying: ?Mercury Holidays?. The Mercury Holidays/Protours Chile representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.

Health and Vaccinations

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

Physical Accessibility

This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot and includes some climbing of stairs and getting on and off coaches and boats. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

Group Size

There is no minimum number of travellers for this extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

Tour Guide

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be with a local guide in each of the main destinations on the trip. In addition to the local guides, a national guide will meet you in Calama and remain with the group until Cusco. In Santiago and Lima you will be accompanied by a local guide only.

Currency Information

Each of the three countries visited on this tour have their own currency:

Country

Currency

Chile

Chilean Peso (Ch$)

Bolivia

Boliviano (Bs)

Peru

Neuvo Sol (S/)

US Dollars are widely accepted in large hotels and restaurants but local currency will be needed for payment in smaller establishments. Therefore, it is recommended that you either take a mixture of currencies or take US dollars and change this into the local currency as and when you need to. Cash machines are available in the major cities to withdraw money in the local currency of the country.

Personal Expenses

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £400 will be sufficient for the duration of the tour, depending on how much of a bargain-hunter you are!

Additional Expenses

Visas

Insurance

Tips

Any meals not specified in your itinerary

Travelling alone?

We have secured a few places on this tour for single travellers with no single supplements. Once these are all sold, if you are a single traveller, you will need to pay a small supplement. However, if you are happy to share with another passenger of the same gender, then let us know at the time of booking and we will endeavour to find you a travelling partner. Alternatively, please ask about our single supplement prices in order to book your own twin room.

What to expect

Fact File

Currency

Chilean Peso, Boliviano, Neuvo

Min/Max temperature

14 °C / 31 °C

When to go

Weather can vary quite considerably throughout the year, so please familiarise yourself with the climate charts below.

Santiago

La Paz

Lima

What to pack

Clothing for a range of temperatures. At high altitude, even in summer, temperatures can be very low in the morning and evenings but quickly get hot during the day.

Rain wear for rainy season.

Long-sleeved shirts and long trousers.

Insect repellent.

Personal toiletries & first aid kit.

High factor sunscreen: This is particularly important due to the high altitude where there will be less atmospheric protection from the sun

Tayka Del Desierto

Palacio Del Sal

La Casona Boutique

La Hacienda Puno Plaza de Armas

Casa Andina Catedral

Casa Andina Miraflores Centro

Other Extensions

Tumbes Beach Stay

Tour Route

London

Lima

Arequipa

Puno

Cusco

Lima

Tumbes

London

Extend your stay in Peru and head to the beautiful beaches of Tumbes for 3 nights of relaxation. With an idyllic coastline and diverse wildlife, Tumbes offers a perfect end to the Chile Bolivia and Peru tour.

Contact address

Travel Advice and Safety Abroad

For latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information click hereThis advice can change so please check regularly for updates.